This is a reread after seeing the musical. My first read was the original when it was first published. This go round I picked up the graphic novel version which I preferred. The illustrations really added to the story and because the book was written in verse, I think all the wording was kept rather than simplified as is often the case with graphic novels?! ❤️
PS The musical was awesome!

Got a mini vacay in with the fam. We rode roller coasters, played mini golf, lounged poolside, fine dined and played games. We also met up w/ my daughter‘s childhood bestie for some shopping. Kid #1 is now on the road cross country for a year+ of adventures. My heart is full ❤️ #WhatsNewWednesday

Caught up with Jason Reynold‘s talk at the Olney Theatre from last night over my morning coffee while on vacay. I can‘t wait to see this show next weekend ❤️ ❤️❤️

I‘m not the intended reader for this one, but it takes place at Wellesley College and I wanted to get a glimpse into campus life from a recent grad. Dear Wendy is one of many instagram pages on campus. A second page, Dear Wanda, pops up causing some feuding. It‘s also about friendship and sexual identity. I did recommend it to a colleague starting a queer book club because, though kinda overdone, it opens a lot of positive LGBTQIA+ discussions.

My son finished his college classes! He‘s off to Wyoming for an internship and other adventures for the next 14 months or so. I‘ve been tasked as primary caregiver for Sir Wiggles, his banana ball python. I‘m learning. 😬 #WhatsNewWednesday

Hubby‘s favorite band is Rush. We had a couple of roadtrips together recently and listened to Geddy‘s book. He read it himself, which was nice. I enjoyed his stories and how close the band is/was with each other. It was a bit long but otherwise a good read. I enjoyed the stories of his earlier years best.

Brought my girl home after moving her out of her dorm, surgery, and her followup after an orbital floor fracture. I‘m happy to have her home for the summer. Fingers crossed her double vision clears up ❤️

This was a great young adult read about the case Juliana vs The United States. Twenty-one children got together from different parts of the country and sued the gov‘t over climate change. The lawsuit was filed in 2015 and, I believe, is still ongoing. Holding the government(s) accountable for their participation in global warming and hearing the children speak about their future and their expectations makes for a powerful read. ❤️

I enjoyed Hazelwood‘s vampire/werewolf world and appreciate the mystery she added. I‘ve read 1 of her 3 Love Hypothesis books and 1 of her 3 STEMinist novellas. If this one continues, I‘ll probably stick to just this one out of repetitiveness, even though it was a fun read.

I‘m fairly new to using a sewing machine, but thanks to some amazing coworkers, I‘m learning. Last week I made an up-cycled bag to carry my book and a few odds and ends for a trip this week. It‘s been so convenient and my new favorite thing! #WhatsNewWednesday

This is a heavy read. It‘s deep. It‘s complex. The characters, the issues, the world. It‘s scary because it‘s not far from current issues and the brink we are living with climate change and covid. I‘ll be thinking about this one for some time. There‘s so much to take in and absorb. It‘s interesting that Butler‘s ideas of the world in the 90‘s are not too far off from what we are living in ‘24. Exaggerated, but not by much.

I am so freaking excited about this debut musical! I purchased tickets for the end of the month. Eeek! 🤗

After listening to this book last week, my library copy hold came in. I like seeing the pictures after listening and after flipping through the physical copy, I kinda wish I read it rather than listened in this case 😂

This is kind of a fascinating true crime story of art thief Stephane Breitweiser. The amount of art he stole in less than a decade is unbelievable and he kept it all in the attic of his house. The audio was about 6 hours long and is my May book club‘s choice 😊

My son is planning a thru-hike next summer on this trail and I‘ve taken a few backpacking adventures on the Appalachian Trail so I enjoyed learning about the Pacific Crest Trail and search & rescue. My son is looking at National Park and/or Forest careers and possibly search & rescue so it was a great way to explore what a career like this would look like. My heart breaks for the families of the missing.

@DebinHawaii It‘s been a good week ❤️ The tagged book is my current audiobook. @Graciouswarriorprincess Share your positives! #5JoysFriday

This was an excellent haunted house story taking place during the Mexican Revolution. This definitely has Rebecca and Mexican Gothic vibes with a priest bringing me back to an all time favorite, The Thorn Birds, though a witch. What can I say, I was addicted.

Glad I took an extra “just in case” book with me on my travels. It‘ll come in handy with an unexpected extended stay.

This book was a hoot! I thoroughly enjoyed it but so curious to see how my bookclub will receive it. I‘ll think of this story on every future Ikea visit.

Glad I grabbed my book when I headed out for lunch because my kid landed herself in the ER and I‘ll be here for a few hours. 😬
I‘m grateful I‘m in town for her but sad she won‘t be able to perform in her musical this evening with a concussion

Hanging in Boston this week to watch my daughter perform as Veronica Sawyer in the Heather‘s musical. The live performance will be new to me. I also get to hang with my parents, hubby and some friends in the area ❤️ @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Read4life @TieDyeDude

I‘ve been wanting to read Louise Erdrich for a while now and I went into this blind. It took a bit to sort out who/what the story was about but once I got into it, I really enjoyed it. Might be worth a reread in 10-20 years to relive 2019/2020. I currently have 2 books going with ghosts involved in the plot which is quite unusual for me 👻

This book, IMO, is perfect! 10/10. Definitely going to make an effort to read more of Everett‘s writing and I‘m going to try to watch American Fiction tonight. *It‘s not “new” just a newly purchased library copy 😉

This is a sweet story about the love of an aging dog and had me crying through I95 traffic after dropping my own love off at the kennel for the weekend. ❤️

Curiosity got the best of me on this one. I was curious as to who Crystal was and why she married Heffner, 60 years her senior. What I found is a terribly sad story from a young, naive woman. I wish for her happiness and I hope she‘s able to overcome the trauma of the ten years spent in the Playboy mansion. 💔

I‘m struggling with the print on this book. It‘s very light AND small. Yet the page is quite large. It‘s really annoying me. And the ebook has a 10 week hold through the library 😩

This was a fun and funny roadtrip story. Twenty-one year old Tanner loses her college soccer scholarship and gets a job as a live-in driver/caregiver for eighty-four year old Louise. Before she knows what she‘s gotten herself into, she has snuck out of the house in the middle of the night with Louise for a cross country adventure of a lifetime. Some hilarious moments as each learn from one another and form an unlikely friendship.

This storytelling is very unique which has a lot to do with how much I enjoyed this book. The wording is also quite lyrical. Jakub, a scientist, has a chance of a lifetime to go to space. The story is mostly told in his head as the reader learns about his family, his upbringing, the relationship with his wife, Lenka, and Russian/Czech politics. There‘s also an alien spider friend! The solitariness of Jakub reminds me a bit of Life of Pi.

A quick little novella taking place on Christmas. You get Tori, Charlie, and Oliver‘s POV. I can‘t seem to get enough of these characters. And Nick, of course. ❤️

Kel, an orphan, is given the opportunity to pose as the Prince of Castellane‘s Sword Catcher, the secret protector of Prince Conor. There‘s also the POV of Lin, an Ashkari girl not accepted in the societal ranks of Castellane. She becomes a female doctor, and her story becomes tied up with Kel and Conor as well as the local criminal, the Ragpicker King. Slow going at first, but a fun story overall. Looking forward to continuing the series.

I found the beginning of the Astor empire interesting as well as how it ended. I also enjoyed learning how the Astor‘s influenced the building of NYC. The middle was a bit dry and honestly, I really can‘t stand super rich people who have been handed a silver spoon at birth and have no concept of the other 99% of the population. With that said, I‘m curious about his Vanderbilt book.

This is a great read as the US elections get underway. This book brings to light the foundations America was built on and how we got to where we are today. It was like a crash course in government. Curious what parts of this my book club will want to bring up to discuss next week. 😬

I really loved RuPaul‘s story. It‘s one about belonging, finding your tribe and your place in life. Growing, maturing and becoming who you are. I hear you RuPaul, today‘s technologies and lifestyles are a far cry from the Limelight days. ❤️

Lucky dog got a long 3 mile walk so I could finish this audio 🦮
Looking forward to book 3. Hopefully the wait isn‘t too long. I hope Yarros is typing away 😂

Some local to me history about the Crownsville Hospital. This psychiatric hospital was built in 1910 for the black residence of Maryland. If it sounds familiar, this is the hospital Henrietta Lacks‘s daughter was in. It has a sad and ugly history but I‘m glad something good will be done with the property in the coming years.

My first Scalzi read and what a treat! A quick, funny, full of adventure ride that includes cats in management and dolphins fighting to unionize (I related with this aspect as we are in the same boat at work.) Greedy, wealthy villains and Charlie, an ex-journalist now substitute teacher caught in the middle after his uncle‘s death. Looking forward to rehashing the amusement of the story at book club this week!

A piece of historical American culture in Pottstown, PA. This story focuses on the Chicken Hill community and the black and Jewish immigrants that make this town their home. There are a couple of storylines in this book all tying the people together. I really enjoy McBride‘s writing style and storytelling. Great read if you‘re a literary, character reader.

I ADORED this book! Patrick‘s a Hollywood star taking a hiatus when his best friend and sister-in-law passes away from cancer. His brother informs him he‘s become an addict during Sarah‘s illness, is checking into rehab and wants Gay Uncle Patrick to take the kids to California during his rehab. It‘s a story about love, family, relationships and moving forward AND it‘s delightfully comical. Rowley narrates the audio and it‘s the best!

20 hours of listening flew by while I was swept up in this dragon fantasy with a kick-ass heroine! Hopefully it‘s a short wait for the sequel because I‘m suffering a big ole book hangover.

This was a cute YA graphic novel about Paul who is visiting his brother in Taiwan for the summer. He spends most of his summer on the couch playing video games but decides to venture out to find a video game. He gets lost, makes some friends and has a memorable adventure. Oh to be young again! *the chopsticks were a gift from my sister when she lived in Taiwan for a year. Wish I had visited.

Senior book club that I‘m working this afternoon and I finished just in time. The genre is cozy mysteries. I‘m not a big mystery reader but I did enjoy this book, though I don‘t see myself reading the others in the series. I most enjoyed the protagonist, young Flavia de Luce. She reminded me of a mix between Hermione and Scout. I liked that the story tied two mysteries together around a rare stamp in the 1950‘s.

I came across an article the other day about this guy running for congress after John Sarbane announced his retirement in my state, Maryland. Dunn is a Capital police officer and worked at the Capital on Jan. 6th. I didn‘t know much about him and was curious. I started his audiobook yesterday and finished this morning. I was hooked! I talked it up at work today and I‘m recommending it for a book club book. It‘s short, about 6 hours.

I wasn‘t expecting so much memoir in this one. It‘s part science, talking about sea creatures and intertwines the animal‘s lives around the author‘s life; relationships, queerness, mixed race, fitting in etc. The author is very truthful about their experiences growing up and defining who they are as they mature and experience life. The book is cleverly articulated. The science part reminded me of An Immense World.

A couple of peeps have recommended this book to me. I decided to listen to it since it‘s not the type of book I tend to gravitate to. I enjoyed the characters, and theme of new friendships and the idea that it takes a village. Seeing how the books on the booklist affected each reader in a different way was well done. I‘ve read all of the books on the list except A Suitable Boy, so I‘ll have to read that one at some point.

January‘s book club selection. I‘m glad this story was written as it‘s a great piece of history to know about. I recently learned about the Kindertransport from a children‘s non-fiction picture book I came across at work, Stars of the Night, and found this to be a nice historical fiction tie-in. The first half was kinda slow and boring but the story did pick up. ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

This is my 2023 reading wrap up. I decided not to participate in any reading challenges this year other than Goodreads. I‘ll still have my monthly book club reads as well as the senior center book club reads that I plan to continue hosting each quarter for work. I‘m looking forward to 2024! The tagged book is one I‘m partway through starting the new year.

Wrapping up the last of my #Pop23 reviews. This book brings back wonderful childhood memories. The memories are foggy but I loved the one-on-one attention my neighbor gave me after my triplet siblings were born. I believe she had a big part of my love for reading and I loved reading this one with her. It‘s always a comfort read for me. ~a book you wish you could read for the first time again.

I can‘t remember the last time I read a play but I love going to the theater to see plays and musicals. This book is a fantastic story of a black family in Chicago trying to make a good life for themselves and their children. The characters are complicated and made for a great story. #Pop23 ~a book you should have read in high school

Such a delightful read to get in the spirit of Christmas! Tolkien wrote letters to his children from Father Christmas & friends for 20 years. You‘ll find some laugh out loud shenanigans happening in the North Pole with polar bears, snowboys, elves, and goblins as well as stunning illustrations! Tolkien‘s daughter-in-law/secretary edited this beautiful book to share with the world. #TolkienChristmas @Daisey Thank you. ❤️

I‘ve read Olive Ketteridge and I‘ve been looking forward to meeting Lucy Barton! I enjoyed Lucy‘s life and the way Strout chose to tell her story. It‘s a sad story but I really enjoy her characters, relationship dynamics and storytelling. #Pop23 ~a book you bought from an independent bookstore #ReadHarder23 ~read one of your favorite author‘s favorite books (Taylor Jenkins Reid)